


The Golden Knight's Dragon Quest

by Takara_Phoenix



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alpha Alec, Alpha Magnus, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Dragon Alec Lightwood, Dragon Jace Wayland, Dragon Magnus Bane, Fantasy, Fluff, Knight Jace Wayland, M/M, Multi, Omega Jace, Polyamory, Shapeshifters - Freeform, Slash, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:14:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26730469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Takara_Phoenix/pseuds/Takara_Phoenix
Summary: Princess Clarissa had been abducted by dragons and it was up to Jace to go and save her. Only the dragons were trying to save her from King Valentine. On his quest, Jace learns a lot, even about himself - things he had never suspected...
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood/Jace Wayland
Comments: 16
Kudos: 176





	The Golden Knight's Dragon Quest

Shadowhunters || Malace || The Golden Knight's Dragon Quest || Malace || Shadowhunters

Title: The Golden Knight's Dragon Quest – When the Dragons Want the Knight, not the Princess

Fandom: Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments

Disclaimer: All rights to the _Shadowhunters_ show reserved to Ed Decter, the books the show is based off and its characters belong to Cassandra Clare. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Tags: polyamory (m/m/m), shapeshifters, magic, alpha/beta/omega dynamics, fluff, m/f

Main Pairing: Magnus/Alec/Jace

Side Pairings: Simon/Clary, Raphael/Isabelle

Shadowhunters Characters: Jonathan 'Jace' Herondale, Magnus Bane, Alexander 'Alec' Lightwood, Clarissa 'Clary' Fray, Simon Lewis, Isabelle Lightwood, Raphael Santiago

Summary: Princess Clarissa had been abducted by dragons and it was up to Jace to go and save her. Only the dragons were trying to save her from King Valentine. On his quest, Jace learns a lot, even about himself - things he had never suspected...

**The Golden Knight's Dragon Quest**

_When the Dragons Want the Knight, not the Princess_

Sir Jonathan of the Wayland clan was a high-ranking knight in the Circle Kingdom. He lived under a lot of pressure, his father had pushed him hard from the youngest age, made him go through knight training years before he should, so he would have a head-start. There was so much _pain_ to go through and every time he disappointed his father, there was _more pain_.

Then he became an official knight and things got even more... Well, they got _more_. More pressure, more responsibility, more pain – because while his father still expressed his displeasure whenever Jace disappointed him, now there was the pain of what happened during a fight, during a mission.

Another issue was that now he was more aware of what was going on in their kingdom. King Valentine, the man he had vowed to protect, was _not_ a good man. The old knights, like his father, were loyal to the king, but the king was not the kind to deserve loyalty. However, Jace found himself _stuck_. He was a knight now, then there was his father, there was no deserting – before he could cross into another kingdom, they would catch up to him and the punishment for treason was death. Not to mention, he had no one else. There was no other kingdom he _knew_ to be safe, he didn't know where to go, or what to do there, he was just... all alone.

There was only one person he was close to and that was Princess Clarissa – or Clary, as he got to call her. They were friends. He had protected her a lot. She was the only good soul in this kingdom. She had an older brother, crown-prince Jonathan (which was how Jace had earned his nickname, because he shared the crown-prince's name). Jace didn't like him much, he was a lot like his father.

So when dragons attacked the castle and kidnapped Princess Clary, Jace was the first to volunteer to bring her back. She was the only light in this kingdom. With any luck, she could one day become queen and free this damned kingdom from the claws of the king. He knew what awaited him when he would fail; there was no need to return then because there would be death waiting for him.

He took his white steed and his sword and he rode out into the mountains, where they knew the dragons were living. That was the thing. They knew the mountains that the dragons hid away in, but the dragons were simply _too powerful_ – so they couldn't do anything about it. They attacked, occasionally, stealing food, gold, the occasional maiden. Not the princess though.

Jace swallowed hard and mounted the horse to make his way to the dragons' den.

/break\

Magnus was laying curled together in the back of his cave, where they had oh-so many pillows, blankets, silk and satin spread out in a best. It was comfortable and huge. But it had been empty and cold for too long. Now? Now, it was warm and comfortable, because Magnus was laying curled together around his mate. His Alexander. He smiled lazily, resting his head on Alexander's flank. His Alexander was _breathtaking_ – larger than him in his dragon-form, such a dark-blue, most of the time his scales looked nearly black. His sleek body, large wings. The tips of his wings and his claws and horns were sparkling like roughly cut sapphires. The most beautiful dragon there was.

And that was saying _a lot_ coming from Magnus. His horns were larger than Alec's, curled golden horns, just like his belly and his deep, amber eyes. The rest of his scales was a magnificent, sparkly purple – between amethyst and magenta, depending on how the light hit them. Unlike his mate, Magnus was a magic dragon. A dragon capable of doing magic.

Alexander was a lightwood dragon – fire-dragons that primarily lived in the woods, hence the name. Magnus had had a chance encounter with Alec and his sister Isabelle years ago. They grew closer and closer, until Magnus started courting his Alexander. And here they were, happily mated, sharing Magnus' large cave, filled with centuries' worth of riches.

Tonight was a nice, calm night. At least until there was neighing and then shouting.

"Beasts! I have come to slay you and free the princess!"

" _What's with the noise_?", grumbled Alec, burying his head more in Magnus' stomach.

" _Knight. Probably came to 'free' Clarissa_ ", sighed Magnus, nosing Alec's cheek. " _Rest_."

Not that that worked. Alec wasn't going to just continue sleeping while there was an intruder in their home. Grumbling, the blue dragon got up and walked with his mate to the cave entrance.

" _Look. It's a tiny little knight_ ", huffed Alec amused. " _Even for a human, not very tall_."

" _We could give him a mighty scare_ ", suggested Magnus delighted. " _I do like the aesthetics_."

The little knight came in golden armor. Looked like a trophy to be owned. Magnus tilted his head. Well, that was dragon-instinct, really. Golden treasures ought to be kept. He leaned in some.

"And what will you do if we don't, little knight?", asked Magnus in a booming, human voice.

"Slay you. I literally just said that", grunted the knight annoyed.

Adorable. Magnus tilted his head and reached a claw out to tap the knight's armor.

"Little golden boy, you look like a piece of treasure that belongs on my pile. You won't slay us with that little toothpick of yours, silly little knight", huffed Magnus amused.

He tapped the knight again for good measure and the little golden treasure tipped over, yelping.

"Why does your kind always think that you stand a chance against us?", asked Alec annoyed, lowering his head to be on eye-level with the knight. "Look at you. You are the size of my claw. I have fire breath, you would be a roasted chicken before you could make any more demands."

The knight seemed to waver at that, pausing. How entertaining. Magnus tilted his head and looked at his mate, who sat up with a heavy sigh. Alexander was far too good to ever intentionally hurt a human – not unprovoked. He wouldn't burn the little knight to a crisp unless the little knight managed to actually hurt Magnus. Magnus smiled and brushed his head against Alec's.

"Now, what do you want from us, little golden treasure?", asked Magnus curiously.

He leaned in closer, sniffing the knight. He smelt like... potential. Magnus frowned. He didn't smell human. Magnus used a single claw to pry the helmet off the knight's head, startling the little knight into stumbling backward. Golden hair flew around his head as he fell. More scent was set free. Still smelt like potential. Sweet. Alluring. Magnus' chest rumbled pleased, without him meaning to.

"Your princess isn't here, little golden treasure", whispered Magnus softly. "We brought her somewhere safe. Safe from your king and your kingdom."

" _Magnus, why are you telling him this_?", growled Alec, a deep rumble of dragon-noises.

" _Smell the little knight_ ", prompted Magnus, nudging his mate. " _Take a whiff. What do you smell_?"

Alec frowned at him but obeyed the request. He leaned in, until he was very close to the knight, and then he inhaled deeply. Deep enough to lift the human off the ground a few inches. It was really cute that these tiny, little creatures really thought they could kill a real dragon. Much less two.

" _Omega_ ", whispered Alec stunned, backing off from the knight.

Magnus growled in confirmation. Omega. This golden knight smelt like _dragon_ – and more importantly even, he smelt like omega. Dragons, they came either in alpha or in omega. Both Magnus and Alec were powerful alphas. Omegas were actually very rare. It had been centuries since Magnus had last encountered an omega. Then again, it had been many decades since he had last encountered any other dragon, prior to meeting Alexander and Isabelle.

"...This is not how I imagined this to go", sighed the knight frustrated, gathering himself.

"What's your name, little golden treasure?", asked Magnus curiously, laying down.

He folded his front-legs and rested his head on it. Watching the knight intently. Alec made a small noise, sitting behind Magnus, warily observing both Magnus and the knight.

"I'm Sir Jonathan of the house of Wayland", started the blonde, pushing his chest out, before pausing. "...Most people call me Jace. _Who_... What... I didn't even know dragons could _speak_."

"Most dragons don't deem humans worthy of conversation", offered Magnus lightly.

"...Mh. Okay. So... what makes _me_ worthy of conversation?", asked Jace suspiciously.

"Well, not being human, for one", replied Magnus with a smile.

"Magnus", growled Alec pointedly. "You could have delivered that a bit... less bluntly."

"What", grunted Jace, stumbling a little. "W... What..."

"See. You broke the tiny human", sighed Alec frustrated, reaching his tail out.

He wrapped his tail around Jace's waist, steadying the knight and helping him sit down. Magnus smiled innocently at his mate's chastising glare. Always such a big softie, really. It was what Magnus loved so much about his Alexander. He nosed Alec's neck soothingly while the knight sat.

"So... you claim I'm not human, but... what else am I then?", asked Jace with furrowed brows.

"A dragon", replied Magnus casually, inspecting his golden claws. "Like us. Well, not like us. Little omega. Don't tell me... you don't even..." Magnus paused, lowering his hand. "You don't know."

"You really shouldn't have been so blunt then", noted Alec, shaking his head.

"Yes. I admit. Had I known _that_ , I would have been less blunt", huffed Magnus, swatting at Alec.

"You're ridiculous", huffed Jace and got up again. "I'm not a _dragon_. Look at me! I am literally human. Look! Human face, legs, arms, everything!"

"...Well, _obviously_ someone put a spell on you then", sighed Magnus, rolling his eyes.

He snapped his claws and shifted his shape as well as Alec's shape into their less intimidating human forms. Alec was taller than Magnus by a bit, but Magnus made up for it in presence. He liked to keep his eyes golden even in human form, to add some glamour.

"Dragons are shapeshifters", explained Alec. "We can switch skins. Makes traveling easier, because the giant flying lizard is kind of... easy to spot. Some gentlemen traveling? Not so much."

"This all makes no sense", muttered Jace frustrated, running his fingers through his hair.

His head was tilted down as he sat in front of Alec and Magnus, no tall, proud knight proclaiming any slaying. A confused little human. Magnus frowned concerned, looking at Alec, wondering what to do. He was unsure how to handle the confused little human.

"Hey", whispered Alec softly, kneeling down in front of the knight. "I'm Alec. This is my mate, Magnus. It's okay. This is probably a lot to take in. You need anything? Some water."

The dragons turned into humans and now they're offering me _water_ ", muttered Jace stunned.

"Yes, the little golden treasure needs some time to digest", sighed Magnus. "Sweetie, would it help if we bring you to Clarissa? To your princess?"

"What? You just said she's not your captive!", exclaimed Jace, glaring at them.

"She's not. Your princess is in another castle", replied Magnus. "Come along, little treasure."

"Stop... Stop calling me that", grunted Jace disturbed.

"You are literally covered in gold", noted Magnus unimpressed.

He opened a portal and led Jace through it. Being with humans may help him settle some for now, while Magnus could discreetly investigate what kind of magic was covering the blonde.

/break\

"I'm _so_ glad to have you back, Jace. I was feeling really bad about leaving you behind."

Jace smiled thinly, walking the gardens with Clary. They were in the kingdom behind the mountains. Kingdom Dumort, ruled by King Raphael and Queen Isabelle. Jace had heard about it before. What he hadn't known was that the queen was apparently a dragon. Or so he was told by Magnus and Alec when they had dropped him off here two days ago. Isabelle was Alec's sister.

"I... I still don't understand", admitted Jace confused, looking at her.

They had been slowly working their way through what was going on and what had brought them here. Jace was still very hung up on the dragons and the shapeshifting. Supposedly, Magnus had _raised_ King Raphael, after his parents had died, hence the close relationship to the dragons.

"Which part?", asked Clary gently, taking his hand.

"Why bring you here? We went over why you had to leave and... I understand, I really do. We went over why the dragons chose this place, because of their connection to king and queen, but why _you_. What... What is your connection to the dragons?", asked Jace a little lost.

"My mother", replied Clary. "Before she died, she sought out Magnus and asked him for help. When she didn't show up to the meeting – when she was trying to run away with me... Magnus heard of the queen's death and assumed I had died too. Until him and his mate saw me, on my official travels and he rescued me. Brought me here for... safe-keeping."

Jace nodded slowly. His eyes found the young knight keeping his distance from them but never letting them out of sight. Simon. King and queen had assigned Simon to protect Clary, it seemed.

"But I do think it's your turn now", prompted Clary.

"My turn to... what? Be safe-kept?", asked Jace confused.

"Well, that too", huffed Clary, her smile a little strained, a sign of her thinking about the abuse Jace had suffered. "But I meant story-telling. What... _How_ did Magnus and Alec bring you here? Why? I mean, you're a _knight_. They're _dragons_. How did that... work out?"

"No idea", sighed Jace, shrugging. "They _claim_ that... that I'm a dragon. But that's nonsense."

"I mean...", started Clary slowly. "You have seen them change from dragon-form to human-form, right? So it's not... _entirely_ impossible, is it? And... you never met your mother, right?"

"Clary. Don't get on board with these conspiracy theories", huffed Jace, cuffing her.

"Hey!", exclaimed the knight behind them, running up to them.

"It's okay, Simon", laughed Clary, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Everything's fine."

Simon the knight straightened, looking warily at them both. There was a faint blush on Clary's cheeks as she looked at the knight, who immediately smiled when he turned to look at her. Jace raised one eyebrow. How interesting. He had never seen her flustered around someone.

"Everything's fine, leave us alone again", requested Jace with a deadpan.

Simon narrowed his eyes at him. "No. Actually. The king and queen request you come join dinner."

Jace heaved a sigh, though he was somewhat relieved that they had been interrupted. He followed into the dining hall, where King Raphael and Queen Isabelle sat together. They looked stunning next to each other, in matching purple. The queen's long, dark hair was put into broad curls cascading over her shoulders. He took a respectful bow before the royals.

"Your majesties. Thank you for your hospitality", stated Jace.

"Of course. Anything for Magnus", sighed the king.

He had clearly only done this for Magnus, taken them both in. However, he was a good king. A good ruler. It eased Jace's mind to know Clary here, safe. They wanted to wait for her to become off-age and then they planned on helping her seize the throne of her own kingdom.

"Jace. Would you mind taking a walk with me?", asked the queen after dinner.

"Amor", started Raphael concerned, resting a hand on hers.

"Shush", whispered Isabelle gently, leaning in to kiss her husband's cheek. "I'll be fine. I'm a big dragon. If he gets annoying, I'll just eat him."

Right. The queen was a dragon. Jace straightened up as he followed Isabelle outside. She looked so kind and... normal. Like a human. Like him. Then again, according to _them_ , he wasn't human either.

"What do you wish to talk to me about, your highness?", asked Jace tensely.

"You're a dragon. Magnus and Alec told you already, but... I can smell it too", stated Isabelle. "You don't believe them, do you? You really don't... know what you are."

"I am human. I am the son of Sir Michael of the Wayland clan", stated Jace firmly.

"You're a dragon. I don't know if your mom was one and your dad didn't know, or what else, but I know you are a dragon", corrected Isabelle. "And Magnus is out there, gathering ingredients to break the curse that keeps you from shifting. Because that, too, is something I can feel. Something Magnus could feel far more intensely than me, because he's a magic dragon."

"Sure. A magic dragon. Compared to the regular dragons", snorted Jace.

"There's light – or rather, fire – dragons, like me and my brother. Ice dragons. Water dragons. Metal dragons are rare. And Magnus, he's a magic dragon, he can perform actual magic", explained Isabelle. "Magnus and Alec are working hard on finding something to break the curse."

"If there is a curse, what makes you think I want it broken", huffed Jace. "I'm _human_."

"You'll not stop being human", offered Isabelle gently. "But you will be _free_ to chose. Between your dragon-form and your human-form. You deserve the freedom of choice."

At that, Jace remained silent, staring ahead instead of at the queen. "Why are they doing this. I mean, they don't even know me. Why go through all this trouble. It doesn't make sense."

"You're one of us", shrugged Isabelle, tilting her head. "That alone would be reason enough. Me? I've never even met another dragon aside from my brother and Magnus. We're... rare, in these parts of the world by now. So... to meet one? How could we not help out? Besides..."

"What?", pressed Jace when she was pausing for too long.

"You're an omega. They're alphas. It's... easy for us to feel protective of omegas. Instinct. Or so Magnus says, at least. Never met an omega before. You _do_ smell... interesting", shrugged Isabelle.

"Omega. Magnus called me that before too. What does that mean?", wanted Jace to know.

"Second nature. Alpha or omega. The predator and the nurturer. Classically so. Doesn't really mean omegas can't hunt. But... omegas are the ones who can carry eggs. It's part of why we're nearly extinct in these parts. No omegas, no procreation."

"...I'm a man", pointed Jace out slowly, looking confused.

"Well, those things are generally more complicated than _that_ , particularly for dragons."

Jace heaved a sigh at that unhelpful answer. A dragon? An omega? That was just too much.

/break\

"You spent so much time on this", pointed Raphael out.

Him and Isabelle were meeting up with Magnus and Alec. It had been a week now since the two dragons had dumped the knight in their laps. Finally, the mated pair returned, with a potion.

"Was harder to come by than I expected", sighed Magnus irritated. "It took me some to identify the curse itself and then we had to scout for the ingredients."

"The question was _why_. I'm not saying he doesn't deserve help, but he is a total stranger, why do you go through all this trouble, papà?", asked Raphael more pointedly.

"Pretty omega in need of help. How could I _not_?", asked Magnus a bit dramatically.

"Don't say that where he could hear you. Sounds a bit too much like he's the damsel in distress that you're trying to play the knight in shining armor for", noted Isabelle amused.

"Oh, role play. Delightful idea!", exclaimed Magnus excitedly.

"Magnus", growled Alec pointedly, grabbing his mate's hand. "Come. Let's find the treasure."

"Treasure?", asked Isabelle, dragon-instincts kicking in.

"Pardon my mate; Knight Jace", corrected Magnus, a playful look on his face.

Alec's cheeks heated up some at that and he avoided looking at his sister. Isabelle raised her eyebrows and turned to look at her husband. That peculiar reaction made Raphael frown and look from Isabelle over to Magnus, his gaze turning more calculating.

"Well then, follow me", offered Isabelle and took her husband's hand.

The royal couple led the way toward Jace's chambers and on their way, they shared a silent conversation through glances. Isabelle started to suspect that the omega had left a more lasting first impression than originally thought. It would explain a lot. Well, that could be problematic.

"Jace", called Isabelle out as she knocked on his door before opening. "Magnus and Alec are-"

She stopped when she realized that Jace was still asleep. Magnus made an intrigued sound behind her, gently pushing her out of the way so Alec and Magnus could enter first. When Jace rolled over in his sleep, the blanket slipped down to pool around his waist, revealing his well-toned chest. It gave Alec pause and made him grunt startled.

"Pretty", whispered Alec, tugging on Magnus' sleeve. "Pretty omega."

"Mh, yes, Alexander. Quite right. Pretty omega", agreed Magnus, patting Alec's hand.

He seemed mostly amused by Alec's behavior, after all Alec had _never_ met an omega before. It figured that he would be enthralled by the enchanting scent and admittedly, the blonde did look gorgeous. Magnus cleared his throat and sat down at the edge of the bed.

"Little treasure, we bring you a curse lifting potion", announced Magnus gently.

"...Magnus...?", mumbled Jace sleepily, eyelids fluttering open. "Alec. You guys are back."

"We are", grunted Alec, arms crossed over his chest now. "Took us a while to get it done."

Jace slowly sat up, eyebrows drawn together. "I don't know if I want that."

That made Isabelle heave a sigh. "He doesn't know if he wants to _be_ a dragon."

"That's ridiculous. He _is_ a dragon!", exclaimed Alec, pointing at Jace.

"I'm human. And you want to turn me into a dragon", argued Jace defensively.

"Sweetie, no", sighed Magnus, reaching out to taking one of Jace's hand. "You are a dragon, but you're... stuck, locked into this form. I want to set you free. Give you a choice."

"I'm human, I'm not a dragon", stated Jace fiercely. "I know who I am."

Alec's eyes softened as he looked at the omega. "You're... scared. You're scared because if this works, who you thought you were turns out to be a lie and you'll have to rediscover yourself. It's okay. You're... not alone. We're going to help you, even find out who you are."

"Yes", agreed Magnus, smiling encouragingly. "I understand that your past not being what you thought it was is a scary concept, but... don't you want to find out the truth about yourself?"

Still, the young knight looked unconvinced, prompting Isabelle to sigh. "Magnus, why don't you leave the potion with Jace, so he can choose when or if he wants to take it? I believe the four of us wanted to go to town together. You _promised_ me."

She smiled charmingly and after herding the others out, she winked at Jace reassuringly.

/break\

When Jace found Clary, she was behind the stables, kissing Simon. He cleared his throat awkwardly to gain their attention and when they bolted apart, both of them were blushing brightly.

"Clary. I need your advise", grunted Jace. "Simon, go do something else aside from the princess."

Now, Simon flushed even brighter, but thankfully he just left without trying to argue. Clary straightened her dress and got up to walk with him for a bit. They were silent, Clary waiting for Jace to say whatever it was he wanted from her. He was trying to find the right words.

"They made the potion", whispered Jace, pulling the little flask out. "And... I do appreciate that they did this, for me. I know it took a lot of time for them to make. I don't want to be ungrateful, but..."

"But you still don't know if you want to use it. Why not?"

"If this works, it means they're right. It means everything I ever believed about myself is wrong..."

"Everything I ever believed about myself was wrong", offered Clary after a moment. "When Magnus and Alec took me and... told me about my mother. I always thought she was killed by robbers. But my father killed her, because she wanted to run away, save me. That's the truth. And it destroyed my world, but I'm glad I know it. What about you? Do you prefer comforting lies over the truth, or do you want to find out what... what really happened to your mother?"

That gave Jace pause. He blinked a couple of times. His mom. She had died in childbirth, he had been told. By his father. But if he was a dragon – which still sounded ridiculous – then just maybe, his mother... was still alive? Or at the very least, he could find out what really happened to her?

"I'm scared", admitted Jace after a moment. "Of the truth. Of the future."

"You don't have to. You're not alone", whispered Clary, taking Jace's hand.

"I'll... drink to that", grunted Jace gruffly and uncorked the vile.

Taking a last deep breath, he emptied the vile. The sparkly pink goo inside had a strange taste, very sweet, but it went down smoothly. A warmth started to spread throughout his body, overwhelming him so much that he doubled down, gasping for breath. He closed his eyes tightly, not so much in pain as more in discomfort as his whole body seemed to be on fire.

"Jace? Jace? Are you alright? Jace, what-", asked Clary panicked. "I'll get help, wait, please!"

/break\

By the time Magnus, Alec, Raphael and Isabelle had been found by Clary and brought back to the garden, the change had been complete. All five of them came to a stunned halt with quite some distance to Jace. From the other side, Simon came running to them, looking panicked.

"I came back looking for Clary but I only found a giant _dragon_ and got kind of worried. I mean, I _know_ dragons aren't inherently bad, our queen is absolutely lovely, but you never know, right-"

"That's Jace", interrupted Clary wide-eyed. "He... He took the potion to lift the curse."

Simon made a small sound, but he still made his way to stand between Clary and the dragon, just to make sure. Raphael instinctively took his wife's hand too. They didn't know how Jace would react to this change, or how disoriented he may be. He might lash out without meaning to.

"What... is he?", whispered Isabelle amazed. "I've never seen anything like it..."

"He's... a gold dragon. The rarest breed of metal dragon", whispered Magnus amazed. "His claws and horns are made of diamonds, his scales of pure golds. That's... why they're so rare. They were hunted for the riches of their bodies. If... I had to hazard a guess, I'd say that is why he was stolen too, as a baby. To be raised into a fully grown adult dragon... more riches to harvest."

He kept his voice low, not wanting Jace to hear that part, not like this. Though Jace truly was breathtaking. His scales golden, the horns shorter, showing he hadn't reached full maturity yet – the dragon bodies usually came into that around the first fifty years passed. Jace sat up and blinked. The heterochromia, Magnus had noticed it in human Jace already, but those large dragon eyes staring at them made it all the more prominent. The golden dragon tilted his head, looking at them.

"Hello, gorgeous", greeted Magnus with a gentle smile, slowly approaching.

He signaled Alec to stay back, stay with the other four to keep them safe, just in case. Chance was confusing, especially the first time. Not to mention, Jace had _no_ control of this new body yet – the wings alone were going to give him a hard time and considering they were diamonds on gold, they could easily seriously injure someone by accident. Magnus smiled reassuringly at Jace.

"It's okay. Everything is okay, Jace", assured Magnus. "Say something?"

The dragon made a drawn-out sound, somewhere between a groan and a whine. Okay, so the language thing wasn't working just yet. Producing human language with a dragon's vocal-cords was something that took some training. Nodding to himself, Magnus changed into his own dragon form. When he sat up, he smiled at how small Jace was. Still so young for a dragon, after all.

" _It's okay, Jace. Tell me, how do you feel_?", asked Magnus. " _Does anything hurt_?"

" _No..._ ", answered Jace slowly, like he was testing how to make sounds. " _I am... just... confused. Everything is so small? I nearly knocked over a tree with my... tail..._ "

" _Yes. More limbs to navigate. It's okay, we'll help you with all of that_ ", assured Magnus.

" _I am... a dragon_ ", whispered Jace, slowly lowering himself onto the ground.

He looked up at Magnus, looking miserable. " _It's going to be okay. We're here for you_."

Magnus turned to look at his mate, nodding at him. Alec understood, immediately coming to them and shifting into his dragon form too. He tilted his head as he looked down at the small, golden dragon. He reached a careful claw out to trace Jace's spine – the beautiful diamond spikes.

" _Pretty, golden treasure_ ", rumbled Alec absentmindedly.

" _Mh, you're right. That stayed the same_ ", laughed Magnus.

The two alphas inhaled deeply. The scent of omega was so much stronger now that he was a dragon. Jace stared up at them with worried eyes. Instinctively did Alec lay down around him, wrapping his body and tail around Jace in a protective manner, before spreading a wing out to cover Jace.

" _You're safe_ ", promised Alec in a rumbling voice. " _We will teach you how to fly. We will help you find out about your past. You're part of our horde now_."

While Jace may not have understood the terminology, he understood the sentiment and relaxed.

/break\

Being a dragon was amazing. _Flying_. Jace howled as he rolled over in the air, wings spread wide, before he dove down. Flying was amazing, he loved it. Magnus, Alec and Isabelle had taught him a lot about how to navigate his body, how to communicate, the switching back and forth between human and dragon form. And Magnus had done some research. Apparently, golden dragons like him were so rare, it was easy to figure out where Michael Wayland may have found one.

" _Jace! Come on, it's time to land, sweetheart_ ", called Magnus out.

It had been so many weeks now that Jace had lived somewhere between Raphael and Isabelle's castle as well as Magnus and Alec's cave. In human form, he slept in the castle, but in his dragon form, the cave was just... more spacious and safer. He didn't fancy sleeping outside, after all. He knew, he should consider getting his own place. Then again, he had officially joined the royal knights, so his place in the palace was earned. The cave though. Magnus and Alec were mates – which was like dragon-married, Jace had learned. Still, they let him crash at their place. Not just let him, they seemed genuinely pleased whenever he came over.

" _What? Dinner ready_?", asked Jace eagerly, landing next to Magnus.

Magnus shifted back into his human skin, smiling at Jace and nodding. He led the way inside, where Alec was already setting the table for them. For a cave, it was very well furnished. They even had a human bed for when they felt like sleeping in human bodies, but the farthest end of the cave was where they usually slept – for them as humans, it was a ridiculously oversized field of pillows. Even behind it, through a small entrance at the top of the cave, was a second cave, the one where the dragons kept their riches and treasures. Collecting was a thing dragons did instinctively, so Jace had learned lately too. There were a lot of instincts he now had to get used to.

Being an omega was the hardest thing to adjust to. He had urges now. Like nesting. The first time he had just... rearranged the pillows and built a new nest in the cave, Magnus and Alec had paused and watched him in surprise. They had been very tentative to approach and then explained to Jace what he was even doing there. That had been... embarrassing. But Jace had grown more used to it now, he liked nesting in the cave and Magnus and Alec seemed to appreciate the nests he built.

"How was your flight, Jace?", asked Alec with a fond smile.

"Fu—un", sighed Jace pleased as he sat down. "I do love the flying."

"I'm glad you've learn to enjoy aspects of being a dragon", noted Magnus gently.

"It... It's better than I thought", whispered Jace softly, shrugging. "And I like... I like that I still get to be a knight. Even if I changed court. I just... still struggle with... the family stuff..."

Alec reached a hand out to rest in Jace's neck in a soothing manner. It worked. Neither Alec nor Magnus had told Jace yet what that meant – what it meant when an alpha's mere touch soothed an omega like this. But it had only been a few weeks now and Jace was still settling into it.

Jace now knew that the man he had thought to be his father, the man who had abused him for so many years, had stolen him from his parents, after killing them. It was how he had bought his way into King Valentine's inner circle. The only living member of his family was his grandmother, Imogen. She lived many kingdoms over, had fled after she lost all her family. Returning was not something she could imagine, but she came to visit a couple times now, after the first time Magnus and Alec had accompanied Jace to go and visit her. Meet her. Learn about his parents, his family. There truly was a lot that Jace had to digest and get used to and Magnus and Alec had been a tremendous help for him, all the way. He couldn't express how grateful he was to them.

"I should... look for my own cave", mused Jace slowly during dinner.

"What? Why? Did we do something to upset you?", asked Alec, head snapping up.

Jace nearly choked on the chicken at that. "What? No. You... Why would you think that? I just figured, it's been weeks. You two are dragon-married and I keep... barging in, disturbing you."

"Is that the only reason you are considering that?", wondered Magnus. "Because you don't want to disturb us? Because... believe me, we are _not_ feeling disturbed by you. We quite enjoy your company. And there is safety in numbers, which... a new dragon like yourself, a golden dragon like yourself... surely can use. Even if you are a very cunning knight."

Jace bit his lips, looking from Magnus to Alec and back. It was partially that he felt like an intruder, but more so that he was feeling drawn toward them. The two had opened their home and hearts to him, they had supported him so much. It was also that he was falling for them – feeling drawn to them. Which was probably linked to their support. Jace wasn't used to people offering him _anything_ without expecting something back. They offered him a home, guidance and kindness. So much kindness. Jace loved the kindness. He swallowed hard. It was what had first drawn him in. Their physical appearance... didn't help in easing that attraction. Be that human or dragon; when Jace was a dragon, he couldn't help but gape at how gorgeous Magnus and Alec were, so large and powerful, it spoke to something primal in him, something that made him want to submit to them, bare his belly and plead to be theirs. That urge had only been growing in recent weeks.

"It's... more than that", offered Jace reluctantly, trying to not look at them.

"Jace", prompted Magnus, before his voice softened. "Little treasure."

" _That_ ", growled Jace, looking up from his dinner at that. "You calling me that. It's messing with my head. Staying here, in your cave, is messing with my head. Sharing a _nest_ with you is messing with my head. Because my head's telling me that you're _mine_... and you're not."

"...Y... Yours?", echoed Alec startled, putting down his cutlery.

"Mine", repeated Jace in a low growl, his eyes flashing golden.

"Mh. Unexpected", mused Magnus thoughtfully, tilting his head. "Interesting."

"See", sighed Jace embarrassed, running his hand over his face. "It's messing with me."

"Or... and let me be bold here...", drawled Magnus, looking at Alec for a moment before he reached out to take Jace's hand. "We could be yours. And you could be _ours_. Our little treasure."

"...What?", asked Jace slowly, staring at the alphas.

"Jace", whispered Alec, leaning in eagerly. "We let you live here. We feed you. We share our nest with you. That... is more than just a gesture of friendship. We've been drawn in by you from the day you walked into our den in your golden armor, with your sword raised, talking nonsense."

"But it's become stronger than that over the past weeks", continued Magnus, smiling at Jace. "You are so... enchanting. I love sharing my home with you, I'd like to share my home with you. Even more so if we could share it with you because you are our mate."

For a stretch, Jace simply stared at them, unsure what to make of that. "...Really?"

Alec growled softly and leaned in, until he could nose Jace's neck and whisper into his ear. "Really. Be ours, Jace? We want you to be ours. You want us to be yours."

Jace gasped as Alec's breath tickled his neck. " _Yes_. Yes, I want you to be mine. Please."

He was clinging onto the table as Alec kept nosing his neck. Magnus smiled amused and got up to walk around the table and join them. He leaned down, on Jace's other side, gently kissing his cheek.

"Our gorgeous little treasure", whispered Magnus pleased. "Come with us to our nest."

He offered his hand to Jace, Alec taking Jace's other hand as the alphas led Jace toward their nest. So large and comfortable. Jace purred softly as he climbed in, directly followed by Alec. Magnus took another moment to simply look at them. They were his. So gorgeous. So long, he had been all alone. And his Alexander, he had brought light into Magnus' life. But now, with Jace at their side, it felt... complete. Like what Magnus had been looking for was finally coming together. Smiling to himself, he shifted into his dragon-form, just as Alec and Jace did on the pillows. Jace pawed at the pillows before curling together. Very important to a forming matebond was physical contact. Magnus climbed in, snuggling up to Alec and Jace, making sure to have contact with both.

The golden dragon really complimented Magnus and Alec's dragon-form, at least in Magnus' opinion. He smiled when Jace stretched his wings out, covering Magnus with one wing and Alec with the other, in a very possessive gesture. It was nice to see that Jace wanted them too. The past weeks were spent pining for the golden boy. Sharing meals with him, watching Jace bring the first treasures of his own, so proud of his findings, seeing Jace rearrange their nest.

/break\

Alec tilted his head when he woke up. He had it resting on top of Jace's belly, the golden dragon laying on his back, with his own head against Magnus' neck. The three of them were an entanglement of limbs. They had been waking up like this for a few weeks now, it really should have given away that they were interested in each other. The alphas, curled around the omega.

" _Good morning, my magic_ ", whispered Alec, nosing Magnus' cheek gently, before he turned toward Jace again. " _Good morning, my treasure. Did you sleep well_?"

Magnus grumbled and rolled over, practically hiding under Jace's wing to avoid the light and the talking mate. He had never been a morning dragon. Alec smiled amused, resting his head back on Jace's belly. Jace rumbled deeply as he stirred a little, curling more around them.

" _Mornin', Alec... Magnus doesn't seem to want to get up yet._ "

Jace smiled to himself as he nuzzled against Magnus. Had finally had love – not just the romantic love that Alec and Magnus offered him, but the friendship with Isabelle and Simon, the love of his grandmother, whom he would have never found without them. This was good. He had a _home_.

_~*~ The End ~*~_

**Author's Note:**

> DRAGONS. I really wanted them all to be dragons! *^* Was the last oneshot idea I had before Writer's Month that didn't make it into Writer's Month, sooo here it is, opening up our regularly scheduled Wednesday Oneshots. ;) ALSO if the pitch seems familiar, that's because I did tease it on tumblr before (I often pitch ideas, headcanons and teasers for upcoming fics so come follow me at [takaraphoenix](https://takaraphoenix.tumblr.com/)).


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